Fireblood

Fireblood by Elly Blake | Book 2 of the Frostblood Saga

Fireblood is the second instalment in Elly Blake's Frostblood Saga, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in September 2017. Building boldly on the elemental world established in Frostblood, this sequel takes Ruby into entirely new territory - geographically, emotionally, and in terms of everything she thought she understood about her own identity and power.

When Fireblood opens, Ruby appears to have won. The tyrannical Frost King is dead, Arcus has taken his rightful place on the throne, and the long-oppressed balance between Firebloods and Frostbloods has a chance, however fragile, of being restored. The problem is what Ruby accidentally set free in the process. The Minax - a dark, bloodthirsty entity that was imprisoned within the Frost King's throne - is now loose in the kingdom, spreading corruption and violence wherever it moves. As the one who shattered the throne, Ruby feels the weight of responsibility for stopping it. The trouble is that nobody in Arcus's Frostblood court knows how to face such a creature, and Ruby - the only Fireblood in a castle of ice - is already barely tolerated by the courtiers who surround her king.

The solution, however unwelcome, points south. To Sudesia - the land of the Firebloods, a country Ruby has never visited, a homeland she knows only through fragments and rumour. The knowledge needed to destroy the Minax may be there, held by the suspicious and powerful Fireblood queen. Against Arcus's wishes, and in the company of the roguish, charming Fireblood Kai, Ruby makes the journey that could save two kingdoms - or cost her everything.

What makes Fireblood particularly satisfying as a sequel is the way Blake uses Sudesia to deepen both the world-building and Ruby's sense of self. The Fireblood kingdom is vividly realised - warmer, more sensuous, and more politically treacherous than anything in the first book - and watching Ruby navigate a society where her fire is no longer a crime but still not entirely welcome gives the character arc real texture. The trials she must pass to earn the Fire Queen's trust are inventive and physically demanding, and Blake uses them effectively to force Ruby's emotional development alongside her magical growth.

The introduction of Kai adds genuine complexity to the romantic landscape of the series. As a love triangle it is honestly handled - Kai treats Ruby as an equal in a way that Arcus, constrained by his new crown and court, currently cannot - and the tension between duty, distance, and desire that plays out across the book feels emotionally authentic. Readers firmly on Team Arcus will find the long separation from him frustrating in the best possible way, while those charmed by Kai's easy confidence and partnership with Ruby will find plenty to enjoy.

Kirkus Reviews called Fireblood a "thrilling romp through an engrossing world" and praised its escalating stakes, sizzling romance, and Ruby's growth as a protagonist. For fans of elemental magic fantasy with layered mythology and fierce heroines, it is a wholly satisfying middle chapter that leaves the series perfectly positioned for its finale.